Statements in Meeting with Organizers of the Congress of 24,000 Martyrs of Khuzestan Province

In the Name of God, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Thanks be to God, Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon our master and prophet, Abu al-Qasim al-Mustafa Muhammad, and upon his pure and chosen progeny, especially the Awaited One among us.

Welcome, dear brothers and sisters, esteemed officials of the province, and honorable scholars. I congratulate you on the blessed and significant occasion of the birth of the Awaited One (may our souls be sacrificed for him), and God willing, the coincidence of this meeting with this great historical day will be a source of blessing for your collective efforts, some of which have been mentioned, and we have observed examples of artistic activities and others that have taken place here.

Thanks be to God, the memory of the dear martyrs has filled our gathering with a sense of devotion; I especially welcome the families of the martyrs.

The memory of the martyrs is both a lesson and a source of motivation; it is also a fulfillment of a right. The right of the martyrs over the Iranian society and nation is a very great right. The least we can do is to honor the memory of these great individuals. Your work, that is, this planning to commemorate the 24,000 martyrs of Khuzestan, which is a very significant and high number, is a very timely and appropriate endeavor.

Let me say a word about Khuzestan. In the Sacred Defense — which was a great test for the Iranian nation over these eight years — Khuzestan played the role of the frontline; this is very important. Truly and justly, Khuzestan was a resilient frontline; Khorramshahr was one way, Abadan another, Dezful another, and Ahvaz another. The resistance of various cities such as Shadgan, Hamidiyeh, Susangerd, and others that we have seen up close or heard about is truly an unparalleled phenomenon in the history we know. The Arab tribes, the Bakhtiari tribes, and the Lor tribes truly played a role; the people of Dezful, under those strange bombings! Dezful was one way, Abadan another, Ahvaz another, and Khorramshahr, which was the center of resistance and the heart of Khuzestan's resistance. These sacrifices immortalized the names of these cities and the name of Khuzestan, and the fate of this great test for the Iranian nation was determined by these resistances.

We have previously stated that Saddam was under the delusion that since part of the people of Khuzestan are Arab, they would welcome him with open arms; it turned out to be the opposite; the Arab families, whether in the cities or in the villages, did not do this. In one of these operations, around noon, we went to a village to perform ablution and pray, and there were only two or three Arab families living there; in this desert, in this dangerous area, between enemy forces, they were chanting slogans in favor of the Islamic Republic, and their women, men, and children welcomed us as we went to perform ablution and pray. Khuzestan acted this way in this region. The brave commanders, the esteemed officers of the army, Martyr Jahangiri, Martyr Ali Hashemi, Martyr Seyyed Hossein Alam al-Huda, each in their own way, through various activities, with their resistance and steadfastness there, became national figures.

Another point about Khuzestan that we have previously mentioned is that Khuzestan became a symbol of the unity of the Iranian nation; that is, from all over the country, lives, hearts, bodies, and wills intertwined in Khuzestan to defend Islamic Iran. Of course, the war zone extended from north to south, but the main target of the enemy and the main battlefield was this sensitive and important region of Khuzestan; here, the Iranian nation showed itself, and Khuzestan became a manifestation of the prominence of the Iranian nation; this is the lesson. This intertwining of hands, hearts, activities, efforts, thoughts, and wills together brings about the great results of the Sacred Defense; this is our lesson today and our lesson for the future. In all important matters, wills must come together, hands must be clasped, bodies and souls must be united; this is the lesson. All provinces of the country sent their best youth to Khuzestan; the distinguished youth of the Iranian nation ascended in Khuzestan.

Well, these events in Khuzestan have occurred over the years of war and before and after it until today. I want to say that Khuzestan, just as it is a source of natural wealth — Khuzestan is a source of agricultural production, a source of oil production, a source of industrial production — because of this very important history, it is also a source of cultural production; a source of unforgettable cultural and identity lessons for the Iranian nation. In each of these areas, some of which we have seen up close and some we have heard about — from northern Khuzestan, from the Dasht Abbas region to Khorramshahr and beyond — various events have occurred that can serve as the basis for hundreds of documentaries, hundreds of films, hundreds of series, and hundreds of readable books, and these must be recorded in history. Now, the friends there also mentioned, and it was pointed out here that four films have been produced; this is very good, but four hundred films must be produced; and it is possible. The more you delve into the events of Khuzestan, when one becomes aware of the details, one feels that there is a need for a great cultural movement that must take place. The events that have occurred in Khuzestan, these great operations — the operations of Fath al-Mubin, Bait al-Maqdis, Khaybar, and other significant operations that have taken place — from the behind-the-scenes of these operations to the essence of these operations, to the results of these operations, each of these can serve as the basis for great cultural and artistic works. This is one point.

Another fundamental and important point is that what happened in Khuzestan was a combination of popular determination and Islamic faith; that is, the backing of the people's will, the courage of the youth, the sacrifices of fathers, mothers, and spouses — all of which manifested in Khuzestan — was Islamic faith; that is, what created the prominent events of Khuzestan as a sample from the whole country was a combination of Islam and the people, of Islamic faith and popular will and determination. Observing this reality, one becomes familiar with the profound insight of our great Imam in choosing the term "Islamic Republic"; the Imam understood both the people and Islam, and he clearly understood the public of the Iranian nation.

Among the greats — both in our time and in the times close to us — we have not seen anyone who has sensed the trust in the nation and the understanding of the nation as precisely as our great Imam. From the very first days of the revolution, the great Imam referred to the Iranian nation. In 1961, when the movement began, the Imam pointed with his hand towards the deserts south of Qom and said that if we tell the people of Iran, the Iranian nation will fill this desert of Qom; he knew the people. At that time, there were those who said, "You cannot trust these people," while the Imam trusted the people. This was the understanding of the people. And the understanding of Islam; the Imam understood Islam with a comprehensive, complete, and progressive perspective; the Imam viewed Islam as a doctrine that can elevate and refine the human spirit and can advance and elevate human society; he considered Islam sufficient for governing human societies; he did not see Islam merely for calling the adhan in the minarets and worshiping in temples and mosques and repairing the hearts of individuals; he saw Islam as active and effective in the political arena, in the administration, in the management of the people, and in the general guidance of humanity; this was the Imam's perspective: "Islamic Republic."

Look! This perspective is an accurate one; this is what brought about these miracles in Khuzestan and prepared the ground for this great movement, the movement of the Islamic Republic, the advancement of the Islamic Republic throughout the country. And this continues; this collective thought between "the people" and "Islam" has been able to sustain the Islamic Republic; this thought has sustained, preserved, and strengthened it day by day. The problem for the enemies of the Islamic Republic is that they do not understand it; they do not understand the people nor Islam. They conspired against the Islamic Republic and the Iranian nation, plotted, schemed, and predicted, saying, "The Islamic Republic will not see its fortieth anniversary!" The Americans said this; they were confident that these plans and conspiracies would work. To their dismay, the advancement of the Islamic Republic did not stop, the progress of the country did not stop, Islamic Iran did not submit to oppression, did not succumb to deception, and continued its path with dignity, overcoming many obstacles, and with God's grace, the Iranian nation will overcome many other obstacles that currently exist.

Let me say something about Gaza. Today, the Islamic world is truly mourning for Gaza. The atrocities being committed in Gaza by the wicked usurping Zionist regime, this rabid dog, are known to all. These events have shown two things: one is the strength of Islamic faith. The resistance that the resistance forces inside Gaza have shown and have disheartened the enemy from being able to eliminate them is rooted in the power of Islam. The patience that the oppressed people of Gaza have shown against these bombings and pressures is rooted in Islamic faith. Thus, Islamic faith has been manifested here; it has reached a point that according to reports and as you have probably heard, in Western countries, in America itself, in Europe itself, many young people have sought out the Quran to see what is in this Quran that enables its believers to resist against such terrifying and immense problems. Islam has shown itself.

The second thing is that Western civilization has shown itself. Western civilization, a civilization that constantly speaks of humanity, human rights, and such matters with hypocrisy, deceit, and lies, and opposes the execution of a criminal — if someone has committed a crime, suppose he has killed several people, they raise their voices against his execution, saying, "Oh! Execution, execution" — while thirty thousand people are executed over three or four months by the Zionist regime, they close their eyes as if nothing has happened! Some of them — not all — verbally express their disapproval of Israel's actions, but in practice, they support it, provide weapons, and necessary goods, and America, with complete audacity, vetoes the resolution to stop the bombing of the people for the umpteenth time! Here, Western civilization has shown itself; this is Western civilization. The culture of the West, the civilization of the West, these polished appearances of Western politicians, their essence is this; the appearance is a smiling facade, the essence is that of a rabid dog, a bloodthirsty wolf. This is Western civilization; this is Western liberal democracy; they are neither liberal nor democratic, they lie and hypocritically pursue their own agenda.

We hope that, God willing, the people of the world will better understand the truths in these various events, both to better recognize Islam and to correctly understand the West. And we are confident that this Western civilization, this crooked burden, will not reach its destination, will not have continuity, and God willing, the culture of truth and the correct logic of Islam will prevail over all of this; that day, God willing, will not be far off.

Peace be upon you and God's mercy and blessings.